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The Detroit Lions will be hungry heading into the 2025 NFL season. Detroit had its best season in franchise history in 2024, winning 15 games and securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. Unfortunately, they lost to the Commanders in the playoffs in part because of their litany of injured defensive players. One NFL insider has a plan for how Detroit can add more depth at edge rusher before training camp.
ESPN's Matt Bowen published an article on Monday pairing the best available free agents with NFL teams.
Bowen suggested that the Lions reunite with three-time Pro Bowler Za'Darius Smith.
“Smith was productive after getting traded from Cleveland to Detroit before the deadline last season,” Bowen wrote. “In eight games with the Lions, he had four sacks and 20 pressures. He's a speed-to-power rusher who can get interior one-on-ones as a standup nose tackle or 3-technique. That'd give Detroit's new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard more matchup ability up front.”
The Lions lost superstar edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson early in the 2024 season with a significant leg injury. They traded for Za'Darius smith to help make up for that loss.
Detroit ended up releasing Smith earlier this offseason because of his bloated contract.
Bowen is not the first to suggest that the Lions could reunite with Smith closer to the 2025 season.
Do the Lions want to add more edge rushers before the 2025 NFL season?
One question that Lions fans should be asking is: do the Lions actually want to add more edge rushers before the 2025 season?
Many around the NFL expected the Lions to prioritize pass rushers in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Detroit had different plans, adding DT Tyleik Williams and guard Tate Ratledge with their first two picks.
In fact, as Bowen points out, the Lions only added one edge rusher in the entire draft.
“The Lions took only one edge rusher in the 2025 draft (Boise State's Ahmed Hassanein), leaving a need for a veteran opposite Aidan Hutchinson,” Bowen concluded. “So even though Detroit released Smith in March, bringing him back on another deal makes a lot of sense.”
It is possible that Detroit feels comfortable with the depth they already have at edge rusher.
The Lions will be getting plenty of players back in 2025. Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport are the biggest names, though fans are skeptical of Davenport's ability to stay healthy. The addition of Hassanein should help too, though he is a very raw prospect who likely won't contribute immediately.
It is easy to understand the logic of Za'Darius Smith returning to Detroit. Now Lions fans simply need to wait and see if Brad Holmes makes it happen.
